On DVD and Blu-Ray - "Road To Paloma" (2014) - Jason Momoa (Conan The Barbarian 2011) stars in this Drama/Thriller as "Wolf", a Native American on the run from the law after killing the man who raped and murdered his mother. The film is a modern-day road picture reminiscent of some of the anti-establishment, Americana flicks of the late 1960's and early 1970's, highlighted by poetic cinematography and a natural performance from Momoa's towering lead.
I slowly found myself swept into the narrative as our well-intentioned protagonist rumbled across the countryside on a 1957 Harley Davidson Panhead motorcycle (Momoa's own), befriending an alcoholic rocker (Robert Homer Mollohan) who joins his trek while narrowly evading a determined Fed (Timothy V. Murphy) at every turn. Amongst a series of a small episodes is a brief interlude with an independent, free-spirited woman, played by Momoa's real-life wife, Lisa Bonet- the segment feels not unlike a snippet of a candid home movie and hints at how immensely talented and charismatic Momoa truly is.
It is most disappointing to relay that what ultimately destroyed this film for me was an amazingly ill-conceived ending that misses the mark by a wide margin- it's an occurrence that sours the entire experience and leaves those invested in the narrative thoroughly unsatisfied. I don't mind downer endings, though I cannot stand one that's utterly pointless- this film would make my list of good to very good cinematic experiences that were undone by bad endings, which includes the likes of In Bruges, Suicide Kings and High Tension, to name a few.
Momoa shouldn't be written off as just another gristle-head and should have a solid acting and Directing career ahead of him, though he really should have reconsidered the notion of that damned ending...
6.0 out of 10
Director: Jason Momoa
Cast: Jason Momoa, Robert Homer Mollohan, Lisa Bonet, Michael Raymond-James, Chris Browning, Timothy V. Murphy, Sarah Shahi and Wes Studi
Run-Time: 91 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for language, sexuality and nudity, some drug use, and violence including an incident of sexual assault
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